Who Needs Glue When You've Got Gundam Pilots?
by MoiChroi
Summary: After a botched dinner with the former gundam pilots, Relena is faced with spending the Christmas Holidays alone. Will our favorite Vice Foreign Minister spend Christmas alone or will our boys, with the help of Relena's estranged older brother, save the day? I'm horrible at reviews, please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

It was freezing, there was a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground, a huge stack of neglected paperwork back in the office and yet Relena found herself standing outside of Duo and Hilde's shared townhouse; unsure if she'd made up her mind to commit to her noncommital reply to the casual dinner invitation she'd received a week prior.

_It was a Wednesday not unlike any other when Duo's trademark cheery 3 rap knock sounded on her office door. Relena bid him entrance happily enough, not surprised to see him; looking rather handsome and grown up in his preventors uniform. _

_"Afternoon Lena, mighty fine day" he sang as he ambled through the room to sink into one of th chairs seated before her desk. _

_Smiling indulgantly at the ever cheerful man, Relena nodded. "That it is Duo. On your way home?" _

_Duo locked his hands behind his head in his usual relaxed gesture, leaned back and nodded. "You betcha" he grinned. "I just wanted to stop in and pay a visit to everyone's favorite princess before I went on home" _

_Relena couldn't help her return grin. Although the two weren't making friendship bracelets Duo was the one ex-gundam pilot she felt most as ease with. _

_"You know you don't have to resort to flattery with me " she laughed. "What do you need me to sign?" she asked. The most agreeable and easy-going out of the other 5 ex-pilots, Duo was also the one they sent when it partained to her signature so it was safe to assume that was the reason for his visit. _

_"Ouch, Princess, you wound me" Duo pouted, shifting in his seat and shifting his violet gaze to hers in his faux hurtful way. "No signature required today, I just wanted to invite you to dinner at our place next week. Hilde's going all out since you never know who is gonna get called in to work the Holidays this year. Everyone will be there and we wanted to see your pretty face at our table" Duo explained. _

_Relena wasn't altogether surprised at the invitation. After the Mariemaia incident 3 years ago the former pilots had joined preventors, volunteered to be on her guard detail as well as her surveillance team and had become quite close in the process. It was tradition during the holidays, when they weren't pulled into work, to gather at one residence or another to share a meal and enjoy the comfort of each others company. She'd been invited for the past 2 years. _

_"Duo, you know I'd love to be able to make it but you know how crazy my schedule is during the Holidays" she began. "Christmas is just 2 weeks away and things are already hectic. I'll see what I can do but you know I can't make any promises" she explained, leaning her chin into the palm of her hand. _

_Duo's forehead creased and his lips turned up into another pout but he nodded as he stood to take his leave. "We'll be looking for you then, you know where we'll be." With a grin and a mock salute he was gone, leaving Relena to gaze wistfully at his retreating back before going back to her work. _

Pulling her coat more tightly about herself, Relena glanced around at the cheery light spilling force from the windows. She could hear the sounds of animated chatter along with Duo's laughter from within but hesitated in announcing her presence with the customary knock.

In truth, her hesitancy stemmed more from her own shortcomings than from any ill feelings she held for anyone within the home. Despite all the long evenings spent attending social functions with one former pilot or another, sharing her home during security detail or the odd run in at the office, she'd never accomplished the easy familiarity with the men that they'd established with one another. The fact that she'd been invited spoke volumes of their regard for her but she was almost certain she'd feel like the outsider for forever.

Sighing, Relena turned to head back down the driveway but was stopped as the yard was suddenly blinded by light and a voice called out to her.

"Miss Relena?"

Relena felt every muscle in her body tense at the familiar sound of the womans voice and slowly turned to look back into the face of Lucrezia Noin. Her Brothers wife.


	2. Chapter 2

Bathed in the glow of light spilling from the front door, Relena could only stare at her sister in-law as the voices from inside grew hushed and the scraping of chairs on hard floor were heard. The sound reverberated in her ears, too loud in the wake of cheerful voices.

"Relena?" Noin repeated, her tone both questioning and concerned.

Relena was searching for her voice when the door was swung wide open to reveal the inside occupants. Duo was the first to come bounding out into the snow to welcome her; leaving the others to watch warily, throwing an arm around her shoulders and brushing snow flakes from the shoulders of her coat.

"Geez Lena, how long have you been standing out here" he asked worriedly. "Why didn't you knock, you're gonna catch your death" he chastised, repositioning his arm from her shoulders to her waist in an attempt to begin steering her inside.

Relena snapped back to attention and gave Duo a reassuring smile. "Not long Duo, I was just arriving" she assured him, eyes flashing back to her concerned looking sister in-law and the 4 familiar men standing in the doorway. She allowed herself to be steered toward the door and was greeted with small smiles and nods as the others moved back to allow them entrance.

"Its a pleasure to see you again Miss Relena" Quatre beamed.  
"Hello Onna" Wufei mumbled.  
"Hn" was all Heero could spare.  
"Good evening Vice Foreign Minister" Trowa murmered politely.

"Why don't you come with me and I'll show you where we put the coats" Noin offered quietly after she'd been ushered inside and the door had been closed. "Hilde's in the kitchen with Milliardo and we were just in the dining unwinding before supper" she told her quietly, gesturing to the others who were already retreating.

"Duo, pour Relena a glass of Wine!" Hilde called from what Relena assumed was the kitchen.

Taking her cue from Noin, Relena followed her silently to the next room which housed several very comfortable modern couches, a coffee table, a worn looking recliner and a fireplace.

In the corner waited an old coat rack, onto which Relena deposited her coat before turning to Noin for an explaination. Crossing her arms, she waited.

Seeing Noin in the doorway had taken the breath out of Relen'a lungs. Wherever Noin was her estranged brother was sure to go also. Which meant he was here. Waiting. Intruding. Hurting her with his imposing presence after so many years of keeping himself hidden from her.

Duo hadn't mentioned that the pair would be in attendance and it stung.

It was no secret that the Peacecraft siblings were seperated by more than just space. Ever since it was revealed to Relena that Milliardo was her Brother it had been a bitter pill for her to swallow but not something she couldn't overcome but after his supposed death and then his reappearance and disappearance after the Mariemaia incident, the relationship between the two had staled and suffered a great deal of damage.

"Milliardo wanted to see you Relena, you wouldn't take his calls and you nevered answered his letters" Noin began, her voice pleading. "He is suffering because of the chasm that is between you two and he is desperate to fix things" she explained.

Relena knew he'd tried to contact her. She'd denied countless phone calls and there was a box of letters from him collecting dust beneath her bed; the phone calls went unreturned and the letters unopened.

"Noin, I should have been told-" Relena started.

"Yes, you should have been but you know what desperate men do when they become desperate."

Noin turned quickly towards the sound of her Husbands voice but Relena stared into the fire, feeling the lump forming in her throat at the sound of her Brothers voice. She had restricted contact with him because she couldn't face what would become of them if she did and now he was here; assaulting her senses and sounding every bit as desperate as he claimed to be.

Relena swallowed, hard, trying to rid herself of the lump that threatened to choke her. "You know what they say about desperate men Milliardo?" she whispered, slowly lifting her eyes to meet his. "They do stupid things."

Ripping her coat from where it hung, Relena had only time to see the shock and hurt in her Brothers eyes before she fled; brushing by the married couple, past a bewildered Duo who'd come to bring her a glass of wine and out into the cold.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Who Needs Glue When You've Got Gundam Pilots?  
Chapter 3  
by MoiChroi**_

**A/N: ****Thank you all who have stopped by to read this new story of mine. I know the chapters thus far have been short but I plan on beefing them up a bit in the coming chapters. Reviews are always greatly appreciated ^_^**

_**I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its Characters  
**_

By the time Relena was out the door, down the steps and halfway down the walk, she was aware of the sound of the front door opening and closing behind her. Certain it was Milliardo she quickened her pace but not by much. The walkway leading out onto the street was slippery due to the recent weather and it slowed her down considerably.

"Relena."

Pulse quickening at the sound of the familiar voice, Relena stilled. She'd expected to be pursued but certainly not by this particular presence. They'd had so little to do with one another since she'd stepped down as Queen; a brief exchange here and there, a passing in the halls. He led her security team but true to form he stayed well hidden from her eyes.

"Heero" she acknowledged quietly, keeping her back to him.

She didn't want to see his face, to see his stoic expression and whatever unreadable emotions warred behind his prussian eyes. Didn't want to acknowledge her own stupidity at rushing out like some sort of fool. She was Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, not some silly teenager so easily ruled by her emotions. Milliardo Peacecraft was just a man and she'd run from him like a coward!

"You shouldn't be out here alone, Relena" Heero said, voice clear and strong in the silence of the night.

A hand on her elbow alerted her that he'd come much closer than she'd anticipated and she instincively whirled to face him; making a feeble attempt to free herself from his grasp.

"For goodness sakes Heero, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself" she huffed. "Christ, I'm not some defenseless little girl you know!"

For the first time she allowed herself to meet his gaze and was surprised to see the crease of his brow, the only indictation of his shock. She'd never defied him or anyone else for that matter about her safety or lack thereof nor had she ever showed the slightest sign of defiance period. She had always been such a model of good behavior.

"I'll drive you home" he replied curtly, beginning to steer her back towards the house.

It took all of 5 seconds for Relena to lose her temper with the stoic man. She would not be led around like some dog on a leash. Wrenching her arm free of his grasp, she glared angrily at him when he turned to look her way and held up one hand to keep him in his place.

"Heero Yuy, I said I was fine by myself and I meant it!" she exclaimed. "I don't want help from you, not tonight. I just want to go home. Alone. By myself!"

She knew she was acting like a petulent child, a far cry from her usual cool composure but enough was just enough. She'd been lured here under false pretenses after deluding herself into thinking maybe everyone wanted to strike up a friendship and had been confront by the man she'd been avoiding. She did NOT want to be chased down and escorted home like an errant child; especially not by Heero Yuy, her former crush and who had probably been in on it all from the start.

Heero stood quietly, watching her with his head tilted slightly to the side as if regarding an unfamiliar wild animal. Relena was sure he was trying to calculate his next move and decided to beat him to the punch.

"Its your night off, go back inside and enjoy it with your friends Heero" she told him, using a more gentle tone than before. "It was a mistake to come here but I'm fine, really" she tried to assure him. To let him off the hook.

"Relena-" he started, taking a wary step towards her.

Relena shook her head and held up a hand to keep him still.

"Go" she whispered and turned on her heel to begin walking in the opposite direction. She knew he didn't really want to entangle himself with her, judging by his behavior towards her the last few years they'd worked together. He simply felt obligated due to his position. Due to their history. Due to her position.

A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that Heero was still standing where she'd left him and for once Relena was glad he'd done as she wished. She truly did want the rest of the night to herself. The shock of seeing Milliardo after so long, it was just too much. She felt drained. Confused and betrayed. Too many warring emotions.

A phone call to her head of staff guaranteed that there'd be a hot bath waiting at home upon her arrival and a bottle of Moscato chilling on ice.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Who Needs Glue When You've Got Gundam Pilots?  
Chapter 4  
by MoiChroi**_

**A/N: ****Thank you all who have stopped by to read this new story of mine. I know the chapters thus far have been short but this one is slightly longer so I hope it is well recieved. Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Sadly I've only gotten one so far so please be kind of let me know how I'm doing in the rekindling of my muse ^_^**

_**I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its Characters  
**_

The roast had been devoured, the wine bottles emptied to the last drop and the dishes cleared. Desert had been served and the coffee was cooling in its cups while its cosumers stared silently into their inky depths. Each dinner guest appeared lost in their own thoughts and even the usually upbeat Duo had accepted defeat.

Relena's abrupt departure had pulled the rug out from under them. What had seemed like a reasonable favor to an old war ally had ended in a failure that sat uneasily with the former pilots and failure was not a concept that any were comfortable with accepting.

"Has it ever occured to anyone that keeping Relena in the dark about Milliardo was a bad idea" Hilde piped up, stabbing a bite of coffee cake and stuffing into her mouth. "I mean, obviously she's having some personal issues with big brother that she isn't ready to deal with. We kinda look like shmucks now, ya know, for trying to force her to deal."

Several pairs of eyes turned to glare at her but Hilde was not deterred.

"Relena isn't an unforgiving or even remotely unreasonable person. You just have to be patient and give her time. She spent her entire life up until 3 years ago being blissfully unaware of your existence and then you just dropped in, held her prisoner and then let her believe you were dead" Hilde went on.

"I mean seriously Mill-"

"Jesus Hilde, we get it!" Duo grumbled. "Zechs made his bed, now he's gotta-"

"And the braided idiot just digs the knife in deeper" Wufei scoffed.

"Come on guys, do we have to fight? We're not getting anywhere by pointing fingers and being cruel to each other" Quatre added.

"Thats enough" Heero interrupted. "What Relena is feeling is obviously more complicated than any of us anticipated."

All eyes turned to stare at the stoic man in surprise. He was usually so disengaged from their conversations, it was an oddity that he'd spoken at all and with such simple insight. Stranger still that it was insight into Relena, the girl he'd distanced himself from for so long.

"Hilde is right. Relena should have been informed before we allowed her to walk into this situation blind. We're civilians now, we have to think like them and not like Pilots. We can't keep the ones we care about in the dark, especially not when we're trying to be helpful."

He paused to let the weight of his words sink in. The matter at hand was delicate and as they'd seen tonight, could crumble just as easily as aged stone. Their course of action had been with the best of intentions but his brief encounter with Relena had shown just how fragile the situation really was. It was proof that any further proceedings needed to be carried out with the utmost caution.

"What exactly do you propose Yuy?" Milliardo asked, finally looking up from his cup. "She despises me" he added softly.

"I abandoned her, even after I'd become capable of taking care of her. I did what I thought was right by staying away but I see now that I was just too driven by revenge to see that she was slipping away from me."

Noin gathered her Husbands free hand in hers and placed a soft kiss across his knuckles; offering him, as she always had, her silent comfort.

"What more can we do?" She asked, hope tinging her voice.

"We switch to a more direct approach. An upfront and honest one. We have to convince Relena that she needs to meet with Milliardo and hear him out; she needs to hear his side of the story if she wants to keep up her silence" Heero explained, taking a long swig of his cold coffee.

Duo winced but asked, "And how do we get Lena to agree to see him? I mean, she did run out of here pretty quick earlier when she saw the guy."

Heero shrugged.

"We send the most persuasive person we have to talk to her" he answered simply, leveling his gaze on one person in particular.

"Someone who has an endless amount of compassion" Hilde added, catching on quickly and nudging Duo beneath the table with her foot.

Duo, looking confused, glanced at Hilde curiously before catching her glance to the person sitting to his immediate left. The lightbulb went on, albeit a little slowly.

"A guy who can make even the most evil man in the world weep like a sinner before God" he piped up.

Wufei snorted in disgust at his co-workers and smacked the table in irritation.

"For shits sake, just ask Winner to do it already!" he growled.

Relena unwound the towel from around her wet head and rubbed vigourously to get her dripping honey locks into a state of acceptable dampness before crawling into bed for the night. Her silken pajama bottoms stuck to her thighs and calves from the leftover moisture from her bath and her mouth tingled from her 3 minute brush with her favorite cinnamon flavored tooth-paste. It was her favorite way to crawl beneath the covers every night, next to sleeping in the nude but ever since the G-boys had been assigned to her security detail she'd nixed that particular practice.

You just never knew where they would hide a camera or when they'd do a random sweep.

Crawling beneath the covers, Relena breathed a sigh of blissful relief. She could literally feel every muscle in her body relax at once and it was heavenly. She briefly considered getting a new office chair, she really had no idea the toll her job was taking on her aching body until she got into bed each night.

Rolling over onto her side, she curled her knee's up to her belly and pulled one of her extra pillows to her chest. Thinking of tolls took her mind back to earlier in the night and the brief encounter she'd had with her brother. Now that it was over and she'd put a lot of distance between them she could admit to herself that she felt ashamed and guilty. Milliardo was just trying to fix the chasm that had opened between them.

What he was trying to do was real, she could feel it. With each letter that came and every voicemail he left, she could tell there was sincerity behind his efforts but she just couldn't let down the wall she'd built at his expense. There was too much water over the bridge and she didn't have the strength to start bailing buckets just yet.

She shifted again, this time to her left side so she could see the view outside of her balcony door. The moon was bright and little soft puffs of snow were beginning to fall again Relena began to drift off to sleep.

One day she would possess the strength to face her brother but today hadn't been it. She just hoped she would find it within herself before it was too late for them both.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Who needs Glue When You've Got Gundam Pilots?  
Chapter 5  
**__by MoiChroi_

**A/N: ****Thank you all who have stopped by to read this new story of mine. I know the chapters thus far have been short but I plan on beefing them up a bit in the coming chapters. Reviews are always greatly appreciated ^_^**

_**I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its Characters  
**_

Relena felt like a silly school-girl. It had been almost a week since the botched dinner ordeal and in an attempt to avoid all possible contact with the former pilots she'd taken to skulking around the halls of work; peeking around corners and purposefully avoiding area's she knew for sure she was likely to run into any one of them. Silly she may feel but successful she had been, oddly enough.

Slipping into her office Thursday afternoon after a hastily eaten lunch in the backseat of her car, she breathed a sigh of relief and sank gratefully into her soft leather chair. She'd made it through another hour of her day without bumping into anyone, with the exception of her secretary Mary-Ann who'd given her an odd look before handing her a list of the calls she'd missed during her covert lunch. Truthfully Relena hadn't even glanced at it before scooting, yes scooting, into her office and swiftly shutting the door behind her.

Just as Relena was relaxing enough to reach for a packet of paperwork from the large stack waiting for her, the intercom before her beeped.

"Miss Relena, is here for you" Mary-Ann announced airily.

Damn. She had been doing so well in her game of avoiding the men. Leave it to a Gundam Pilot to ruin her plans.

"Send him in please" Relena responded, straightening herself in her seat and grabbing a pen in an effort to make herself look busy when Quatre entered her office.

Closing the door softly behind him, Quatre awarded her with a soft, genuine smile and gestured to the chairs before her desk.

"May I sit Miss Relena?" he asked sweetly.

"Of course " She answered, signing off on a particularly dull looking document before setting her pen down and giving him her full attention.

She could only assume that he'd been waiting somewhere nearby for her to return seeing as how she'd barely been back in her office for a full minutes before he'd showed up in front of her. The thought made her uneasy for she had a sickening suspicion that she knew why he'd come and she drew in a calming breath before addressing him directly.

"To what do I owe this pleasure ?" she asked, sounding as seriously and professional as she could muster.

To his credit Quatre shifted uncomfortably in his chair and pulled at a crease in his navy slacks before finally lifting his eyes to meet her curious gaze.

"To be completely honest Miss Relena, its about the other night" he began softly. "I'd like to apologize on behalf of myself and the others for keeping Milliardo a secret from you and luring you there under false pretenses. It was wrong, we knew better and beg that you accept our deepest apologies."

Relena gazed at the boy turned man thoughtfully, searching his kind eyes for any trace of insincerity before nodding slowly.

"I accept your apology but why on earth would the lot of you do such a thing?" she asked quietly.

"Milliardo was quite beside himself it seemed, when he approached us with his proposition" Quatre began earnestly. "Miss Relena, he seemed like such a broken version of himself, we felt we had to act on his request. You are his only living relative and he loves you dearly; your repeated refusal of him left him with no alternatives and no one else to turn to" he told her softly.

Relena sucked in a breath. Such honesty, too much insight into the emotional state of her brother; she couldn't continue to sit and listen so stoically to Quatre's account of the situation. She turned from him to stare out her expansive window and out into the world outside.

"Of course, we couldn't limit our concerns to just your brother" Quatre added, much more softly. "Thinking of everything you have had to endure was a factor for us also. You must be so confused and angry, no one blames you for whatever feelings you might be harboring but Miss Relena, you musn't continue to let it tear you apart and hamper the progression of a relationship with your only living relative."

Relena could feel his eyes on her, imploring her to listen and take his words to heart. Quatre had always been the most compassionate and emotional of the former pilots, it was no wonder these words were coming from his mouth and not someone elses. He was the gentle one and it was no surprise that he was the only people most listened to and respected.

His words were not wasted. Tears welled in Relena's eyes and a lump rose intrusively in her throat, threatening to choke her. She was angry. She was so angry in fact that it took every ounce of her control not to smash every valuable in her home and scream to the heavens but she was also sad. Sad for so many reasons even she couldn't identify them all.

"How Quatre" she whispered, "how do I fix something that is so hopelessly broken?"

Quatre's hand on her shoulder caused Relena to turn half-heartedly to him; this man who'd always been a stranger to her and yet had played such a big part in her life.

He smiled warmly at her, as sincere as ever.

"I think I might be able to help you with that."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Who Needs Glue When You've Got Gundam Pilots?  
Chapter 6**_

_By MoiChroi_

_**A/N: Seriously, I'd like to express my gratitude for everyone who has taken the time to R+R so far. The numbers aren't high but that just makes the few that I've gotten all the more precious. Please continue to bear with me, this story actually does have a plot and I am trying to get the chapters a bit longer for you!**_

Like it or hate it? R+R to let me know!

I do not own Gundam Wing! 

_1 week later_

Relena was hard at work; her usually pristine marble kitchen was a mess of measuring cups, used bowls, spilt flour and abandoned dish towels. The young Vice Foreign Minister had been up since before the dawn, preparing, cooking and cooling a large assortment of foods for the nights gathering.

There were half a dozen pies cooling on her window sill, Plum Pudding chilling in the fridge, Bread dough rising on the counter, sausage for her Mother's famous cornbread stuffing browning on the stove and lamb slowly roasting on a bed of baby potatoes in the oven. She was expecting a large party to arrive within the next 3 hours and still had so much to do but strived to keep calm as she sliced up the carrots she'd washed and peeled earlier. They'd go into making glazed carrots as an added garnish for the lamb.

smiling wrly to herself, she thought of how surprised her guests would be as they gathered 'round the dinner table that night. It was rare for Relena to make an appearance in the kitchen but had been given lessons in the culinary arts by an old maid of her parents since she'd been a young child.

"Ya musn't walk through life not knowin' how to cook up a mighty fine meal young mistress" old Lettie had clucked during one of their lessons. Of course the lessons had never been approved by her strict Mother but they managed to sneak them in almost every time had stepped out of the house.

Learned Relena had, and now she was even more grateful to the old woman for her patience and devotion in her teachings. Breads and pie crusts had always given her trouble but glancing at the pies cooling on the sill, Relena breathed a sigh of relief to note that they had turned out just fine. She just hoped the bread dough would prove to be just as easy this time around. It had never been more important to her to be able to prepare and serve a meal as it was tonight.

Sliding the sliced carrots from her cutting board and into a waiting pot of water, Relena set the pot on the oven and turned on the heat to begin boiling them. As she went to retrieve the fresh greenbeans from her fridge she allowed herself to remember the plot Quatre had hatched in her office the week before when he'd arrived so unexpectedly.

_**Flashback**_

_"I think I might be able to help you with that" Quatre smiled._

Tilting her head slightly, Relena regarded him through the disappearing sheen of tears that had, not so long ago, been threatening to spill.

"Oh?" she breathed, wiping at the edges of her eyes hastily.

Realistically she knew that Quatre was no miracle worker but his words kindled a hope deep within her heart that someday, somehow she'd be able to look her brother in the eye without being swallowed by her anger and grief. She wanted to be able to embrace her brother as if he were truly a beloved sibling and not despise the very sight of him while feeling like her heart was breaking.

"What can be done, how can we even start to repair all the damage that has been done?" she asked, moving away from the window to come around her desk and perch herself on its edge. It was a forward gesture but in her moment of weakness/need, Relena was allowing herself the small luxury of acting like a normal civillian. For once.

Quatre was watching her closely and gave her an understanding smile; placing his hands on his knees in a gesture as relaxed as hers. He was surprised at how quickly he'd made progress and didn't hesitate in pushing forward the plan that had been formed within the circle of his friends.

"Invite Milliardo to your home" he began, leveling her with a direct gaze but maintaining his warmest smile.

"Recreate the scene he was trying to create last week. Sit down and share a meal with him Christmas Eve; if it makes you more comfortable, invite Miss Noin but welcome them onto your turf where you feel most in control of the situation" he told her.

So far the look on Relena's face remained willing enough so Quatre continued.

"In fact, I would suggest you have a room made up and have Milliardo stay for the entire weekened" he breathed, inspiration coming to him. Surely Milliardo wouldn't be opposed, if his desire to mend his relationship with Relena was genuine. A weekend in Relena's home, blocking out the world on the outside, how much more beneficial could the experience be?

The shock that crossed Relena's face was easy to spot but Quatre stood abruptly, reaching forward to clasp the Vice Foreign Ministers hands within his.

"What a wonderful opportunity you'd have Miss Relena! Your home is quite large, is it not? You could house Milliardo in his own private quarters while still having him stay with you and if things were to become too much, there wouldn't be a chance of the two of you stiffling each other and its only for a few days. Surely this would be the ideal opportunity for the two of you to try to mend what has been broken between you?"

To say Relena wasn't shocked to find her hands clasped tightly within Quatre's would be an understatement. To say she wasn't completely robbed of words at his proposition would be the biggest understatement of the century.

Have Milliardo in her home? Not only for a sit-down dinner, as normal, happy families do but also for the space of 3 days? Utterly inconceivable! She'd thought he would have suggested she pick up the phone and ring him up to start on the road to mending things but now she stood, completely flabbergasted.

Retracting her hands from his gentle grasp, Relena withdrew her gaze from him and found herself staring down at the carpet of her office.

"Quatre...I appreciate you coming here, I do but..honestly I thought you would suggest something more simplistic" she admitted quietly. "This idea seems so..grand" she told him, glancing up.

He still wore the same smile, seemingly undeterred.

"What do you have to lose?" he asked, reaching for her hands again and causing her to raise her eyes once more to his. "Its obvious that you both want the same thing, so why not take this chance Miss Relena and try?"

He had a point and Relena knew it. There was no getting around that.

"I.." she began.

What could she say to deflect the idea? She had no real reasons to not give his plan a shot.

"Alright" she murmured, "but I have one condition."

Ok, so it was a really big condition but Relena was not without manners and she knew she'd crossed a line when she'd stormed out of Hilde and Duo's shared home the night of the dinner.

"I'm listening" Quatre answered, amused.

"You'll invite everyone I offended with my sudden departure the other night."

_**End Flashback**___

Boy had she really made a mess of things with that little condition she mused. She had wanted to beat her head into the nearest wall for the past week but had gotten a call from Quatre the night before to confirm that her invitation was accepted by all. Which explained the mass amount of food sitting in her kitchen at the moment.

Not only was she cooking up a storm but she'd also made arrangements to have the staff stock her kitchen and cabinets for the coming weekend before they left on their respective holidays.

It never ceased to irk the preventors, namely Lady Une, who were soley in charge of her safety these days, that she continued to dismiss her staff during the holidays.

Smiling a rather self-approving smile, Relena turned the carrots down and covered them to allow them to simmer before turning her attention back to the preparations for her favorite dish, French fried onion and green bean casserole.

Yes, she was full of rebellion she mused with a soft chuckle. Dismissing staff and running out on dinner gatherings.

The timer on the oven read just 5 more minutes when the doorbell chimed, startling Relena who had been just about ready to add the topper to her casseroles. Frowning, she glanced at the clock above the stove and was surprised to see that the last 3 hours had flown while she was laboring away in the kitchen; her guests were right on time. __

Glancing once more at the timer, Relena hurried out of the kitchen and into the foyer. Inahling deeply through her nose, she gave herself a moments pause to calm her nerves and focus on being a good hostess. Cooking all day had helped to mask the nervousness that fluttered in her belly but now, with her guests at the door, it was back full force.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she swiped her hands on the flour covered front of her apron and reached forward to open the door.

Duo, of course, was the first person to greet her; throwing the arm that wasn't holding his bed roll around her small frame.

"Hey there Princess!" __


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey there readers! I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone for reading my first fic since 2008. Thanks to everyone who has dropped by I am up to 559 views, 1 favorite and 3 followers.**_

_**I can't express how grateful I am for all of the support I have received so far, in the form of views, followers, favorites and PM's, truly I can't!**_

_**I am very passionate about my writing but my muse has escaped me and thus I am counting on the feedback of others to help keep up my momentum. I'm begging you all; criticism, positive reinforcements and even questions/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!**_

_**Please continue to R&R and I will do my best to keep the chapters coming!**_


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